Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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ATTORNEY DOCKET NO: CLOR-02-036/426.44
PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR A
DISPOSABLE CLEANING HEAD
FIELD OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to cleaning pads and related systems
for
cleaning surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a packaging
system for a
disposable cleaning head having a cleaning composition suitable for cleaning
toilet bowls
and the like.
Io BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cleaning a toilet bowl is typically one of the most undesirable jobs for most
persons. Nevertheless, toilet bowls must be kept clean in order to prevent
sanitary
problems, the potential for irritable smells, and the possibility of harmful
bacteria buildup.
As a result, various types of bowl cleaning products are known. Such products
typically fall within two categories, namely, cleaning by hand with a bowl
cleaner or with
automatic "in tank" or "in bowl" cleaners. Hand cleaning typically takes the
form of a
toilet cleaning brush or sponge. Such devices, however, are displeasing due to
the
excessive dripping therefrom and because storage between uses is unsanitary.
Further,
there is no premeasured dosage with current bowl cleaning products. Most users
just
estimate the amount to use and potentially could use too little and thus not
achieve a
disinfectant level, or too much, which increases the cost per application.
Additionally,
bowl cleaning products are very toxic and present a potential safety hazard.
Automatic "in tank" or "in bowl" cleaners, which dispense a dosage upon
flushing
of the toilet, generally are not as effective as manual scrubbing. Therefore,
most
consumers typically supplement such automatic cleaners with hand scrubbing and
cleaning. In addition to often ineffective cleaning, "in tank" or "in bowl"
cleaners have
other disadvantages. For example, "clear water" types of cleaners give no
indication when
they are used up and need changing, and having to place one's arm into a
toilet bowl
and/or tank to retrieve spent containers is also unpleasant and undesirable.
Further, the
"blue water" products are, in many instances, only cosmetic and, at best,
merely add a
small amount of surfactant to the water.
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Numerous types of cleaning compositions, as well as holders for disposable
cleaning pads, are known in the art. Illustrative are the compositions and
apparatus
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,852,201, 4,523,347, 4,031,673, 3,413,673 and
3,383,158.
A major drawback of the noted toilet bowl cleaners, including the "blue water"
products, is
that a user must "directly" handle the cleaner to place the cleaner in the
toilet bowl and, in
most instances, to remove and/or replace same.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a packaging
system for a
disposable cleaning head that overcomes the disadvantages and shortcomings
associated
with prior art cleaning heads, pads and packaging systems therefore.
It is another object of the invention to provide a packaging system for a
disposable
cleaning head having a pre-determined amount of cleaning composition that
effectively
cleans and disinfects a toilet surface.
It is another object of the invention to provide a packaging system for a
disposable
cleaning head that is readily engagable to and releasable from a variety of
handles.
It is another object of the invention to provide a packaging system for a
disposable
cleaning head that eliminates the necessity of direct user contact to remove
and replace the
cleaning head.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a packaging system for a
disposable cleaning head that enhances the shelf life and stability of the
cleaning head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the above objects and those that will be mentioned and will
become apparent below, the packaging system in accordance with this invention
comprises
a plurality of disposable cleaning heads, each of the plurality of cleaning
heads including
at least one cleaning substrate and a flexible fitment, the fitment including
an engagement
member adapted to removably engage a handle, and a shell having a bottom and a
top, the
top being hingedly connected to the bottom whereby said shell has an open
position and a
closed position, the bottom including a first cavity adapted to receive at
least one of the
plurality of cleaning heads, the top including a second cavity adapted to
receive at least
one of said plurality of cleaning heads. Preferably, the first and second
cavities are
adapted to receive and retain at least three of the plurality of cleaning
heads.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following and
more
particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as
illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, and in which like referenced characters generally refer
to the
same parts or elements throughout the views, and in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a disposable cleaning head operatively
attached
to a handle, according to the invention;
FIGURE 2 is a further perspective view of the disposable cleaning head,
according
to the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a front plane view of the disposable cleaning head shown in FIGURE
2;
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the packaging system
having a plurality of disposable cleaning heads contained therein, according
to the
invention;
FIGURE 5 is a further perspective view of the packaging system shown in
FIGURE 4;
FIGURE 6 is a top plane view of the packaging system shown in FIGURE 4;
FIGURE 7 is a side plane view of the packaging system shown in FIGURE 4;
FIGURE 8 is a partial section, side plane view of the packaging system,
illustrating
the interference fit of a disposable cleaning head, according to the
invention; and
FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the packaging system shown in FIGURE 4, in a
closed position, according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Before describing the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that
this
invention is not limited to particularly exemplified structures, compositions,
systems or
uses, as such may, of course, vary. It is thus to be understood that the
terminology used
herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the
invention only, and is
not intended to be limiting.
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It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims,
the
singular forms "a, "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the content
clearly dictates
otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a receptacle" includes two or more
such
receptacles and the like.
Definitions
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the
same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to
which the
invention pertains. Although a number of materials and methods similar or
equivalent to
those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention,
the preferred
materials and methods are described herein.
In describing the present invention, the following terms will be employed and
are
intended to be defined as indicated below.
The term "sponge", as used herein, is meant to mean an elastic, porous
material,
including, but not limited to, a compressed sponge, a cellulosic sponge,
reconstituted
cellulosic sponge, cellulosic material, foam from a high internal phase
emulsion, such as
those disclosed in U. S. Pat. 6,525,106, polyethylene, polypropylene,
polyvinyl alcohol,
polyurethane, polyether, and polyester sponges, foams and nonwoven materials.
The term "cleaning composition", as used herein, is meant to mean and include
a
cleaning formulation having at least one surfactant.
The term "surfactant", as used herein, is meant to mean and include a
substance or
compound that reduces surface tension when dissolved in water or water
solutions, or that
reduces interfacial tension between two liquids, or between a liquid and a
solid. The term
"surfactant" thus includes anionic, nonionic and/or amphoteric agents.
Examples of
suitable surfactants include, but are not limited to, sodium lauryl sulfate,
sodium xylene
sulfonate, coco amine oxide, nonoxynol-9, linear alkyl naphthalene sulfonate,
ethoxylated
alcohol, alkyl ether sulfates, alcohol ethoxysulfates, alkyl benzene
sulfonate, alpha olefin
sulfonate, linear alcohol ether sulfates, linear primary alcohol ethoxylate,
alkyl sulfates,
alkyl aryl sulfonates, amine oxides, taurates, sarcosinates, isethionates,
linear alkylbenzene
sulfonates, and mixtures thereof.
The term "interference fit", as used herein, is meant to mean the engagement
of a
component having a dimension "x" by a second component or section thereof
having a
dimension "y", where "y" is less than "x". For example, the engagement of a
disk having
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a diameter of 3.0 in. into a receptacle having a diameter of 2.85 in. would be
deemed an
interference fit. The interference would thus be 0.15 in.
As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the packaging
system
of the invention substantially reduces or eliminates the disadvantages and
drawbacks
associated with prior art cleaning heads and systems. In one embodiment of the
invention,
the packaging system generally comprises a shell having a top and a bottom
hingedly
connected thereto, the top and bottom each having a cavity formed therein that
is adapted
to receive and secure at least one, preferably, a plurality of disposable
cleaning heads
therein.
The disposable cleaning head, which is described in detail in co-pending
published
application no. US20050055787, now U.S. Patent No. 7,127,768, generally
includes at
least one cleaning substrate that includes a cleaning composition and a
substantially
flexible fitment (or cap) that facilitates bending and rotation of the
cleaning head relative
to the handle without the necessity of a mechanical joint.
Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown a cleaning head 20 operatively
connected to
a handle or tool assembly 10 (shown in phantom). Preferably, the tool assembly
10
includes an elongated shaft 11 having a handle portion 12 on one end thereof.
The tool
assembly 10 further includes a gripping mechanism that is mounted to the shaft
11 and
includes a contact region moveable between a gripping condition and a release
condition.
In the gripping condition, the contact region of the gripping mechanism
cooperates
with the engagement member 38 of the cleaning head 20 (see Fig. 2) to
releasably mount
the cleaning head 20 to the elongated shaft 11. In the release condition, the
cleaning head
20 is released from the gripping mechanism and thereafter disposed.
Further details of the tool assembly 10 are set forth in co-pending published
application no. 20050066465, now U.S. Patent No. 7,386,910, entitled "
Cleaning Tool
with Gripping Assembly for a Disposable Scrubbing Head".
As indicated, the disposable cleaning head 20 generally includes at least one
cleaning substrate 21 and a fitment 36. As set forth in the noted co-pending
published
application no. US20050055787, now U.S. Patent No. 7,127,768, the cleaning
substrate 21
can comprise either a sponge or a scrim, or, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3,
a combination of
a sponge 22 and a scrim 30.
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In the illustrated embodiment, the sponge 22 is substantially disk shaped and
preferably has substantially planar top 24 and bottom 26 surfaces. The sponge
22 can
comprise various materials, such as a cellulosic material, a foam produced
from a high
internal phase emulsion, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat 6,525,106,
polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, polyether, and a polyester
sponge, foam
and nonwoven material, and like materials.
Preferably, the sponge 22 (and, hence, cleaning head 20) has a maximum planar
dimension or, in this instance, a diameter in the range of approximately 1.0 -
6.0 in., more
preferably, in the range of approximately 2.75 - 3.25 in. and a thickness in
the range of
approximately 0.5 - 31.0 in., more preferably, in the range of approximately
0.70 - 0.80
in.
The sponge 22 also has an open pore structure, having an average pore size
preferably in the range of approximately 3 - 110 pores/linear inch, more
preferably, in the
range of approximately 40 - 80 pores/linear inch.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, the scrim 30 similarly, preferably includes
substantially planar
top 32 and bottom 34 surfaces and is preferably secured to one surface (e.g.,
26) of the
sponge 22. The scrim 30 is similarly, substantially disk shaped and preferably
has a diameter
in the range of approximately 1.0 - 6.0 in., more preferably, in the range of
approximately
2.75 - 3.25 in. and has a thickness in the range of approximately 0.2 - 1.0
in.
The scrim 30 is preferably nonwoven, comprising fibers in the range of
0.1 - 30 denier and includes at least one of the following materials:
cellulosic materials,
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyamide and like materials.
As indicated, the scrim 30 includes a cleaning composition having at least one
surfactant and, optionally, other components. The surfactant can comprise
anionic,
nonionic, cationic and/or amphoteric agents either alone or in various
combinations.
Suitable surfactants include, but are not limited to, sodium lauryl sulfate,
sodium xylene
sulfonate, coco amine oxide, nonoxynol-9, linear alkyl naphthalene sulfonate,
ethoxylated
alcohol, alkyl ether sulfates, alcohol ethoxysulfates, alkyl benzene
sulfonate, alpha olefin
sulfonate, linear alcohol ether sulfates, linear primary alcohol ethoxylate,
alkyl sulfates,
alkyl aryl sulfonates, amine oxides, taurates, sarcosinates, isethionates,
linear alkylbenzene
sulfonates, and mixtures thereof.
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The cleaning composition can also include one or more bactericidal agents,
bleaching agents, chelants, salts, coloring agents and fragrances.
A key component of the disposable cleaning head 20 is the fitment 36. The
fitment
36, which is preferably constructed out of polyethylene, polypropylene or a
like
elastomeric material, is designed and constructed to facilitate rotation
and/or bending of
the fitment 36 and, hence, head 20 relative to the handle 10. The fitment 36
is further
designed and adapted to cooperate with the gripping mechanism of the handle 10
(or tool
assembly), whereby when the gripping mechanism is in a gripping condition the
fitment 36
is able to withstand axial forces in the range of at least approximately 1.0 -
30.0 tbs. before
the fitment 36 and, hence, cleaning head 20 becomes disengaged from the
gripping
mechanism and, hence, handle 10.
As set forth in the noted Co-Pending Application (i.e., Docket No. CLOR-02-
035/426.42), the disposable cleaning head 20 can further comprise (i) the
noted scrim 30
and fitment 36, whereby the scrim 30 could similarly include the cleaning
composition or
(ii) the noted sponge 22 and fitment 36, whereby the sponge 22 could include
the cleaning
composition.
Referring now to Figs. 4 - 8, the packaging system of the invention will now
be
described in detail. Referring first to Fig. 4, there is shown one embodiment
of the
packaging system 40. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the packaging system 40
comprises a shell
41 having a bottom 42 and top 44 that is preferably hingedly connected
(designated
generally 43 in Fig. 7) to the bottom 42.
In a preferred embodiment, the bottom 42 includes a first cavity 46 and the
top 44
includes a second cavity 48. The cavities 46, 48 preferably have substantially
similar
planar dimensions (i.e., length, width) and configurations (see Fig. 6).
As illustrated in Fig. 4, the first and second cavities 46, 48 are configured
and
adapted to receive at least one, more preferably, a plurality of cleaning
heads 20 therein.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, each cavity 46, 48 is adapted to receive
three (3)
cleaning heads 20 therein. Each cavity 46, 48 is further adapted to removably
secure the
cleaning heads 20 therein such that the exposed (or bottom 34) surfaces of the
scrim 30 are
oriented on substantially coincident planes. Thus, each cleaning head 20 is
readily
accessible to engage the tool assembly 10 without the necessity of direct user
contact.
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The noted orientation and accessibility also facilitates the packaging and use
of a
variety of cleaning heads 20 having different cleaning substrates 21 and/or
cleaning
composition (i.e., variety packs).
According to the invention, the cavities 46, 48 can comprise various
configurations
and dimensions to receive various configurations, sizes and quantities of
cleaning heads 20
(e.g., 2, 8, 12, etc.). In one embodiment of the invention, each cavity 46, 48
has a length
(designated "L") in the range of approximately 7.5 - 8.0 in., a width
proximate the opening
(designated "W") in the range of approximately 2.5 - 3.0 in. and a minimum
depth
(designated "D") in the range of approximately 1.25 - 1.35 in. (see Fig. 6 and
8) to
facilitate receipt of three (3) cleaning heads 20 having a maximum planar
dimension or, in
this instance, a nominal diameter in the range of 2.75 - 3.25 in.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, the cavities 46, 48 are preferably disposed in
the
bottom 42 and top 44 of the shell 41 in an offset orientation to facilitate
closure of the shell
41 with cleaning heads 20 disposed therein. As will be appreciated by one
having ordinary
skill in the art, the amount of the offset (designated "0") will depend on the
dimensions of
the cleaning head(s) and, hence, each cavity 46, 48. Preferably, the offset
("0") is in the
range of approximately 25 - 45% of the maximum planar dimension
(e.g., nominal diameter) of the cleaning head(s) 20.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 8, each cavity 46, 48 includes a plurality of
interference tabs 50 that are positioned and configured to engage and secure
the cleaning
heads 20 in the cavities. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the tabs 50 are preferably
disposed as
opposing pairs to engage a respective cleaning head 20 proximate its
horizontal axis
(designated "A" in Fig. 6). Thus, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 and
described above,
each cavity 46, 48 includes three (3) pairs of tabs 50 (or six (6) total tabs
50).
According to the invention, the tabs 50 are configured and dimensioned to
effectuate an interference fit or engagement of a respective cleaning head 20
in the range
of approximately 0.05 - 0.50 in., more preferably, in the range of
approximately
0.10 - 0.40 in. Even more preferably, the tabs 50 effectuate an interference
fit in the range
of approximately 0.10 - 0.30 in.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the face of each tab 50
(designated
generally "51) has a textured surface to enhance the engagement and retention
of the
cleaning head 20 positioned therebetween. As will be appreciated by one having
ordinary
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skill in the art, various conventional molding and post molding processes can
be employed
to provide a textured surface to the tab faces 51. In one embodiment of the
invention, the
textured surface is achieved via a sand or other medium blasting operation.
As illustrated in Fig. 5, the top 44 includes a seat portion 52, having a
peripheral
wall 54 that is configured and dimensioned to receive the top, planar portion
56 of the
bottom 42 when the shell 41 is in a closed configuration (see Fig. 9). The top
44 further
preferably includes a pair of locator tabs 58 that extend from the wall 54
that are designed
and adapted to guide the planar portion 56 of the bottom 42 into the seat
portion 52 of the
top 44 during closure of the shell 41.
Referring now to Fig. 6, to facilitate opening of the shell 41, the bottom 42
and top
44 include opening tabs 60, 62, respectively. According to the invention, the
bottom
opening tab 60 is configured and positioned to align with the planar tab
region 64 on the
top 44 when the shell 41 is in a closed position. The top opening tab 62 is
similarly
configured and positioned to align with the planar tab region 66 on the bottom
42 when the
shell 41 is in a closed position. The noted opening tabs 60, 62 thus
facilitate easy opening
of the shell 41 by a user.
According to the invention, the shell 41 can be constructed out of various
light
weight materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene,
polyethylene,
polycarbonate, polyamides, polyvinylchloride and polystyrene. Preferably, the
shell 41 is
constructed out of polyethylene terephthalate.
The shell 41 can further comprise a single or multi-layer construction that
includes
a high barrier plastic, such as, but not limited to, polyethylene
terephthalate, polyamide,
polyvinyl alcohol, poly acrylonitrile, or a like thermoplastic material,
and/or a blend or
copolymer of the above noted materials, such as PAN/PMMA, available under the
trade
name Barex . The multi-layer construction can also comprise a lower cost
material,
including, but not limited to, a polyolefin, polypropylene, polystyrene,
polyvinyl chloride,
polycarbonate or post consumer resins, and one or more of the noted barrier
materials to
lower the overall package cost.
In an additional embodiment of the invention, not shown, the shell 41 includes
a
paperboard sleeve to enhance shelf stability and optimal label space. In yet a
further
envisioned embodiment, the shell 41 includes shrink labels or in-mold
labeling.
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Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, one of ordinary
skill
can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to
various usages
and conditions. As such, these changes and modifications are properly,
equitably, and
intended to be, within the full range of equivalence of the following claims.
